The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth

Individuation One of the most important things about Junko’s art is the role creating art plays in her own process of individuation. That term comes from Jung, and a very similar idea was articulated by Abraham Maslow as “self-actualization.”2 But it is in the work of Erich Fromm that Junko found the most satisfying discussion of individuation and of its connection to her art. Before saying anything else about individuation I must caution my readers not to confuse it with individualism, with which it is often confused. Actually, the two ideas pull in opposite directions: individualism focuses on the individual by concerning itself with his rights, liberties, and prerogatives; while individuation focuses on the preconditions for healthy membership in the community. When we talk about individuation, we are not talking about the rights of the individual as against those of the community, nor about the liberty of the individual to be different—to speak his mind, to wear distinctive clothing, to express himself. Instead we are talking about issues which precede these things: we are talking about how the individual becomes himself. He cannot express himself before he becomes himself; he cannot speak his mind before he knows his own mind. The process of individuation is the process by which he becomes himself, and it is a process which takes place—when it does take place—at the very deepest layers of the personality. And not only that: the process of individuation is a necessary precursor to love, for until the individual has become himself he is not capable of loving another person. He might show attachment to another person; he might express strong emotional need towards another person; but only once he is individuated is he capable of love and a healthy relationship to his fellowman. But once he is individuated he is capable of love and a healthy relationship to his fellowman. Fromm’s work can be seen as a response to his experience of fascism and totalitarianism: he asked himself, as so many part two // chapter six A Complex Spirituality p. 235

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth

PREFACE

-Definition of Centripetal Art -Its Place In Art History: After the Postmodern Period -Introducing the Subject Matter: One Centripetal Artist's Journey -The Relationship With Multiculturalism -After the Death of God and of Art

FOREWORD

-How the Author's Connection With His Wife's Art Grew More Intimate Over the Years -Learning In Marriage -"Why Does God Need To Paint?" [Section One] Individual Visitants -Dead Flowers and Root -Lungs and Rib Cage

CHAPTER FOUR - A Vital Spirituality

-Why This Art Could Not Have Been Created Earlier -Echoes of the Spiritual Arts of the Early 20th Century -The Impact of the Atomic Bomb; Ecological Concerns -Markers for Spirituality -Centripetal Art Overflows the Studio: Therapy

CHAPTER SIX - A Complex Spirituality

-Spirituality of the 21st Century

AFTERWORD - THE FURNACE

-Polytheism and Monotheism in Art -Goethe’s Aphorism -Marriage and the Alchemist’s Furnace Themes In Series

PREFACE

(Page I) The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth - -Definition of Centripetal Art (Page II) The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth - -The Relationship With Multiculturalism (Page III) The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth - -After the Death of God and of Art (Page IV) The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth -

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